The Risk of Flooding is Year-Round

While winter may be on our doorstep, the risk of flooding sticks around year-round. Unfortunately, many people only associate flooding with hurricanes and the hurricane season, when in fact flooding can happen anywhere and at any time. As an insurance agent, knowing the different types of flood risks can help you better educate your clients, and help them make informed decisions. Here are some lesser-known causes and types of flooding.

Atmospheric Rivers

• Atmospheric rivers are giant bands of warm tropical air that are like a river in the sky. Like hurricanes, they’re rated on a scale from 1-5, and they can bring torrential rainfall, extreme weather, and flooding. Atmospheric rivers are more common between the fall and the spring, and especially so from December through February.  

Metropolitan Flooding

• Major metropolitan areas have different, hidden, risks of flooding many people may not realize. Cities and metropolitan areas have impervious surfaces and limited drainage which can turn heavy rain into a flash flood within minutes.

River Flooding

• River flooding, or riverine flooding, happens when the water in streams and rivers overflows its banks, spilling out onto nearby low-lying dry land. This type of flooding puts inland communities at risk.

Everyone is at risk of flooding. Flooding isn’t only a coastal issue or an inland issue, and it’s definitely not a problem your clients can afford to ignore. From the first day of winter to the first day of spring, talk to your clients about the types of flooding that they’re at risk of, and help them protect the lives they’ve built.